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Hurricane Rita Intermediate Advisory Number 14a
Statement as of 2:00 am EDT on September 21, 2005
...Rita becomes fifth major hurricane of the 2005 season as it moves westward away from the Florida Keys... At 2 am EDT...0600z...the Hurricane Warning for the portion of the Florida Keys west of the Seven Mile Bridge to the Dry Tortugas has been changed to a Tropical Storm Warning. At 2 am EDT..all warnings are discontinued for the Florida Keys north of the Seven Mile Bridge...including Florida Bay. Small craft should remain in port until winds and seas subside. At 2 am EDT...all warnings have been discontinued for Cuba.

For storm information specific to your area...including possible inland watches and warnings...please monitor products issued by your local weather office.

At 2 am EDT...0600z...the center of Hurricane Rita was located near latitude 24.2 north... longitude 84.0 west or about 80 miles...130 km... west-southwest of Dry Tortugas...about 145 miles... 235 km... west of Key West Florida and about 130 miles... 210 km...northwest of Havana Cuba.

Rita is moving toward the west near 14 mph...22 km/hr. This general motion is expected to continue for the next 24 hours...which will take the center of Rita into the open southeastern Gulf of Mexico during the next 24 hours. Data from the Key West NOAA Doppler radar indicate maximum sustained winds have now increased to near 115 mph...185 km/hr... with higher gusts. Rita is now a category three hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Additional strengthening is forecast during the next 24 hours...and Rita is expected to become a category four hurricane sometime later today.

Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 45 miles... 75 km... from the center...and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 140 miles...220 km. The automated station at the Dry Tortugas reported sustained winds of 65 mph and a gust to 87 mph before contact with the station was lost.

The estimated minimum central pressure is 960 mb...28.35 inches.

Storm surge flooding of 4 to 6 feet above normal tide levels...along with large and dangerous battering waves...are still possible in the Florida Keys in areas of onshore flow. Coastal storm surge flooding of 1 to 3 feet is possible along the extreme southeastern Florida coast. Storm surge values will gradually decrease today in all areas.

Rita is expected to produce additional rainfall accumulations of 2 to 4 inches over the Florida Keys and the southern Florida Peninsula...with isolated storm total amounts of 12 inches. Rainfall totals of 6 to 10 inches are possible over western Cuba and 1 to 3 inches over the northern Yucatan Peninsula...with isolated maximum amounts of 20 inches over portions of western Cuba.

Isolated tornadoes will be possible over South Florida and the Florida Keys tonight and early Wednesday.

Repeating the 2 am EDT position...24.2 N... 84.0 W. Movement toward...west near 14 mph. Maximum sustained winds...115 mph. Minimum central pressure... 960 mb.

The next advisory will be issued by the National Hurricane Center at 5 am EDT.

Forecaster Beven